Unforeseen Love
by Samantha Turner
Summary: Zuko's drive to catch the Avatar leads him to a girl who has helped Aang: therefore becoming a 'traitor' to the nation. What will happen when Zuko, Iroh, and the crew have to protect her?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

It was a fine summer's day on the small Fire Nation Isle: the everyday hustle and bustle of the somewhat naïve villagers continued as if no war was waging just a few miles away from them. In fact, only one young girl felt the impact of the devastating battles going on around them. Her name was Kora, a fifteen year old girl whose father had been drafted into the Fire Nation army just a few years ago. Since then she had been on her own; her mother had died when she was very young. Besides the extra jobs she had to work, Kora's life seemed to carry on without hindrance: she did an excellent job of covering the loneliness she felt inside despite the kindness of most of the islanders.

One of her main jobs was at the tiny restaurant on the isle. Today had been a particularly slow day, and Kora found herself staring off across the ocean more than usual. There she was now, half finished wiping off a table and staring out across the blue waters, her golden blonde curls shimmering slightly in the reflected sunlight. Suddenly, a slight tug on her long ponytail brought her back to reality. She reluctantly turned her purple eyes from the ocean and turned towards her employer, who was smiling slightly at her inability to pay attention for more than five minutes.

"I'm sorry Hiroshi, I spaced out again..." Kora said, laughing nervously and shifting uneasily. He simply laughed with her. She was thankful to have such a kind boss.

"No need to apologize Kora, I can see why you would need to find something more interesting than serving nobody," he said casually, motioning towards the empty tables scattered around the restaurant, "Besides, you're done for the day. Let's see here, I do believe its pay day today..."

Hiroshi stroked his graying beard for a moment, contemplating Kora's wages for the week. She waited patiently as he reached into his pocket and pulled out some coins. After he counted out his rather generous salary, Kora bowed slightly.

"Thank you Hiroshi. I'll see you tomorrow!"

Once she had left the small building, Kora headed back towards her tiny home near the water's edge. She smiled again as the coins in her hand glimmered in the fading sunlight. Hiroshi had been almost like a grandfather to her ever since her father had left, and she would be eternally grateful for his kindness.

Kora fingered the pendant around her neck absent-mindedly. It was a tiny, intricate rose on a chain, given to her by her father. It was really the only thing she had left of him, and she didn't even know if he was still alive or not.

After changing out of her work clothes into a far more comfortable red kimono, Kora headed towards her favorite spot on the entire isle: a clearing in the thick forest behind her house that opened into a small bay. As she walked, she remembered the many times her father had taken her to their 'secret spot' when she was little. He would practice his elaborate fire-bending techniques, just for her to watch in awe. But then he had left for the war...

A loud noise and the distant sound of voices brought Kora back to the present. The noise sounded like some sort of large animal, something she had never heard before. As she rounded the corner, she was met with a strange sight: a large furry animal lay on the edge of the clearing with a giant saddle on its back. A boy and a girl in what seemed to be water tribe clothing were packing up all sorts of supplies and tossing them onto the great saddled animal. Sokka, Katara, and Appa, to be exact, didn't seem to notice her presence.

Kora stepped backwards slightly. What were two water nation people doing on a fire nation isle, not to mention what in the world was this large furry animal? In her confusion, Kora stepped on a branch and it snapped. Sokka and Katara immediately looked in her direction.

"Hey! You! What are you doing lurking around here?" yelled Sokka as he fumbled around his bags, trying to locate his dagger. Katara had just opened her canteen of water when Kora heard someone else behind her. She turned around to find a boy of no more than twelve years, blue tattoos of arrows on his bald head and his hands: the marks of an air bender. Kora staggered backwards into a tree and looked around at the strangers, trying to comprehend the magnitude of the situation. The Avatar, the one that the Fire Lord was searching for so relentlessly, right in front of her.

"Quick, stop her Aang! She's fire nation!" yelled Sokka again as he ran up to Kora and Aang, his dagger in hand.

"Calm down Sokka! She looks harmless to me..." said Aang with a grin, which surprised Kora even more. The image of the Avatar had always been portrayed to her as stern and powerful, not some little child.

"Fine Aang, but if we end up burned to a crisp, then I'm blaming you." said Sokka with a slight 'humph.' Kora shook her head.

"Please, I'm not a fire-bender..."

Sokka and Katara seemed to relax a bit and Aang grinned again.

"See, I told you Sokka! She's harmless."

"Then what's she doing around here?" said Katara, speaking up for the first time. Kora sighed slightly and straightened up.

"Maybe I should be asking you guys the same question? What are you doing here on fire nation territory?" she said, looking back at Aang. "It could be very dangerous for all of you..."

"I think we can all manage without your concern," said Sokka warily, "Besides, since when do your people care about the welfare of the Avatar?"

Kora sighed again and brushed a stray lock of golden hair out of her eyes as she recalled the statement the fire nation soldiers had made a few years earlier. If ever the Avatar was spotted, he was to be turned in immediately. If the citizen failed to comply, well that was up to the Fire Lord to decide. But no, she could never turn in the very person who was trying to stop who had taken her father away. She would do anything, even help the Avatar, just to spite the Fire Lord.

"Look, I'm not like all of the others. I won't turn you in, I promise. If I can help you, I will."

Sokka eyed her carefully, as if inspecting her. He still seemed quite wary of her: and she couldn't blame him.

"No, I don't think we need your help. We were just leaving, anyway." said Sokka, giving Kora one last criticizing look then turning to pack up the rest of the supplies. Katara gave her an exasperated smile.

"I'm sorry; my brother can be a bit paranoid sometimes. I'm Katara, it's nice to meet you." she said, shaking Kora's hand.

"I'm Aang! Pleased to meet you!" he said enthusiastically.

"I'm Kora, and I'm very pleased to meet all of you..." she said, looking in Sokka's direction. All she received back was another 'humph.'

"Come on you guys, we have to get going." shouted Sokka over his shoulder. Aang and Katara nodded reluctantly and climbed up onto the huge animal.

"Goodbye and good luck on your journey." said Kora, waving slightly. Aang and Katara waved back, and they were about to take off when Katara told them to stop.

"Wait! Where's MoMo?"

Before anyone could answer her question, a speeding ball of fur whisked around the trees and into the clearing. The flying lemur, as it turned out to be, circled Aang's head a few times, then settled on his shoulder while trying vainly to extinguish a tiny flame on the tip of its tail. In one fluid motion, Katara put out the fire with the water from her canteen.

"MoMo, what happened?" said Aang frantically. Mo Mo answered by jumping up and down, squeaking, and pointing in the direction that Kora had come from. But it was too late: a blast of fire and a few shouts signaled the arrival of Fire Nation soldiers. Kora grabbed Sokka's arm as he was getting out his dagger.

"What?"

"Just go! Don't fight them. Just go." she said, trying to do all she could to help them. Maybe if they left, the soldiers would be preoccupied with the 'traitor' and not pursue them.

The three of them just stared at her, but after much motioning towards Appa and the nearing voices of the soldiers, they hopped onto the flying bison. Katara was about to say something when Kora waved them off. Aang watched her worriedly, but took off just as the soldiers rounded the corner. Relieved, Kora turned around to face a very intimidating soldier towering above her. She shivered slightly and backed into a tree.

"Take her." he said simply. In a matter of seconds, she was bound and tossed over the shoulder of one of the soldiers. The last thing she remembered after a cloth was placed over her mouth was thinking that she had done it: she had helped the Avatar.

-----------------

Prince Zuko sat quietly at the large desk in his room, studying what seemed to be a map of the possible courses of the Avatar. It was almost nightfall now, and Zuko had not left his room for the entire day: leaving his crew completely clueless as to where they were to go. Suddenly, a knock on his door brought him out of his feverish map studying.

"Come in..." he grumbled, rather irritated. The door opened to reveal Uncle Iroh with an agitated look on his face.

"Yes Uncle...?"

"Zuko, are you planning on spending your entire life in here? You have a crew to direct, and you haven't come out of here all day. You haven't even eaten!"

Zuko sighed and glared back down at his map.

"Stop ordering me around Uncle. I'm not a child." said Zuko angrily. Iroh rolled his eyes at his nephew's stubbornness. He could tell he was getting nowhere.

"Alright, alright, calm down. I'll leave you to your work..." he said, glancing disdainfully at the map. "At least tell me if we're stopping at the island you mentioned yesterday or not."

"That's fine. We need more supplies, anyway. Once we get there, tell the crew to stock up. We'll be docking there for the night." said Zuko, without looking up from his map. Iroh simply nodded and left the room.

"He needs a girl..." said Iroh absent-mindedly once he had shut the door behind him. He had to stop himself from laughing out loud at the thought of Zuko in love as he walked down the hallway.

-----------------

Later that night, one of the crew members boarded the ship and approached Iroh. After a few minutes of hushed conversation, they bowed slightly to each other and Iroh set off briskly toward Zuko's room.

Zuko grumbled quietly as another knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. But this time Uncle Iroh didn't wait for an answer to enter. Once he had shut the door behind him, he turned to face Zuko's puzzled look.

"A crew member has just brought me some interesting information, Zuko. I thought you should hear it right away." said Iroh as Zuko settled back in his chair to listen. "Supposedly there has been a rumor going around the island that a traitor is being held on an isle not far from here."

"So? My father can deal with traitors." said Zuko matter-of-factly. Iroh shook his head excitedly.

"I don't know much about the prisoner, but I know why they were arrested: for associating with the Avatar and helping him." said Iroh. Zuko stood up, a wicked grin spreading across his face.

"I think we'll be changing our plans for tomorrow. I'm sure whatever this prisoner has to say will be a lot more valuable to us."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

A faint beam of moonlight streaming through the shabby drapes was the only light in the cramped room. Kora lay on a small mat in the corner: the only thing in the room besides a small table. Sitting up slowly, Kora rubbed her temples and groaned. Whatever knocked her out was just wearing off now. A sudden clicking noise from the door brought her attention back into focus. The soldier she recognized as her captor stepped inside the small room.

"So, I see our little mistress is awake..." said the soldier with a sly grin.

Kora sat up a little straighter with resent, tugging slightly at the chains that bound her to the wall. She hated the feeling of being contained.

"Don't call me that..." she grumbled

The soldier simply ignored her and began to pace around the room. Without warning, he reached forward and yanked Kora's chain off of her neck. She winced slightly as he held it up to the moonlight.

"This little trinket should sell for a good sum..." said the soldier, pocketing the necklace.

"Give that back! It's not yours!" yelled Kora, tears welling up in her purple eyes. He couldn't take that away from her, she wouldn't let him. The soldier just smirked at her frustration.

"I guess I should tell you why you're here, even though I'm sure you know why. You're under arrest for associating with the Avatar and not reporting him to the officials. Do you understand the magnitude of your crime against this Nation?"

Kora just nodded, glaring up at him from the floor.

"No whining? Begging? Pleading to be set free?"

Kora shook her head. She was determined not to break.

"Fine, skip the good part... You'll be transported to the Fire Lord tomorrow. He'll decide your fate." he said with an evil grin. After a few moments of silence from Kora, he left and locked the door again.

Kora sighed loudly and leaned up against the wall. She had done what she thought was right, and this was her punishment. She closed her eyes, wondering what her father would have said.

The noise and smell of fire broke her train of thought. She stood up and looked out of her small window: a jumble of fire benders were battling outside. Kora cocked her head in confusion, not knowing who the people were because of the darkness. A startling bang on the door caused her to jump back just as it fell in. As the dust cleared, Kora gasped: there stood the banished Prince Zuko, coughing slightly, along with Iroh, the brother of the Fire Lord. What were they doing here?

Zuko blinked slightly at Kora: he hadn't known the prisoner was a girl, and a striking one at that. She just stared back, still a bit confused at the entire situation. Finally, Iroh broke the awkward silence.

"Well, are you going to save the damsel in distress or not?" said Iroh, with a slight smirk.

"What the heck do you mean by that, Uncle?" said Zuko, fuming.

"I mean hurry up!" he said, pointing towards some advancing soldiers, almost outnumbering Zuko's crew. Grabbing Kora's chains, Zuko melted them almost instantly and freed her, then grabbed her hand and half-dragged her outside. She stumbled behind him, trying vainly to keep up. A sharp pain shot through her arm as they weaved in and out of crew members and soldiers, but she didn't have time to see what had happened. Suddenly, she found herself thrown into one of the crew members as Zuko knocked down another soldier.

"Take her back to the ship!" yelled Zuko over the commotion, panting slightly.

"Where should I put her, sir?"

"Just lock her in my chambers for now!" said Zuko, sending a scorching blast of fire in one of the soldier's direction. The crew member nodded and took Kora out of the commotion towards the ship, but not without being stopped by Iroh.

"When you get back, make sure you set up a room for her, and make sure it's decent." said Iroh, eyeing Kora. The crew member nodded and took her on board the Fire Nation ship. Soon afterwards, she was tossed into what she assumed was Zuko's room. Two crossed swords hung on the wall across from her, above a desk. To her right, a large dragon mask hung on the wall above what looked like a place to meditate: a table with four candles on it. To her left was Zuko's bed with a large fire nation emblem tapestry above it. Kora sat down on the cold metal floor, wondering what she was supposed to do now.

The soft sound of liquid on metal brought her attention towards her arm: she had been cut, probably by one of the soldiers. It wasn't very deep or long, but Kora feared losing too much blood. Wincing, she ripped off a piece of her kimono and wrapped it around her arm as a temporary bandage.

The confusion of the entire situation spun through her head as she tried to make sense of things: she had just been captured by the banished prince of the Fire Nation, but why? Not daring to touch anything, Kora leaned up against the wall and closed her eyes. For one thing, she was almost glad to be here instead of with that infuriating soldier.

-----------------

The last soldier had finally been felled back on the isle. Zuko stood above their captain, the soldier that had questioned Kora. As his swords of fire disappeared, he noticed something glistening on the ground next to the unconscious soldier. Zuko picked up the thin chain and held it up to the faint moonlight: a small rose hung at the end of it. Puzzled as to why one of these soldiers would have such a thing, he pocketed it.

"Prince Zuko, sir!" said one of the crew members, approaching Zuko.

"What is it?"

"No casualties, sir. Just a few injured. We're taking them back to the ship now."

Zuko nodded his consent and turned to his uncle, who watched the operation casually as if nothing had happened.

"Let's go, Uncle. We need to question the girl." said Zuko. Iroh looked shocked and shook his head.

"Not now Zuko! I'm sure the young lady is quite shaken up. You don't want to make her situation even more miserable, now do you?" said Iroh with a questioning look. Zuko opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but stopped, thinking over his uncle's words.

"Fine, we'll question her tomorrow then." grumbled Zuko, surrendering to his uncle. Iroh grinned, patting his nephew on the back.

"And you should at least ask what her name is. We need to make her feel at home." said Iroh, still grinning. Zuko rolled his eyes.

"You make it sound as if she's staying at an inn..."

-----------------

Kora looked up from her arm as the door opened and Zuko and Iroh entered. Zuko eyed the small pool of blood on the floor curiously.

"She's injured... Uncle, could you get some bandages?" said Zuko, approaching Kora. She just stared at him as he held out his hand.

"Well, are you going to stand up or not?" said Zuko. She reluctantly grabbed his hand and stood up, but not without wincing from the cut on her arm. Iroh returned with the bandages and began to wrap up her wound. Zuko turned his back on them and ruffled through some maps on his desk.

"Take her to her holding room please, Uncle." said Zuko, turning around again and with his hand in his pocket. Kora sighed and reached up to her neck out of habit, only to remember that her pendant was gone. Zuko watched her quietly.

"Alright, let's go, Miss...?" said Iroh politely with a questioning glance towards her.

"Kora." she said, not quite sure why she was being treated so well. That is, so far.

"Miss Kora! What a pretty name. If you'll just come with me..." said Iroh, leading her out of the room. Zuko pulled the chain out of his pocket and inspected it again, then placed it on his desk and put out the candles as the door shut behind them.

-----------------

"Please don't mind my nephew; he can be so rude sometimes..." said Iroh as he straightened a few things in the small room. Kora stood quietly in the corner looking around. A small yet comfortable looking bed had been set up on one side of the room, and a small desk stood in another corner. Iroh looked around the room approvingly as she sank down onto the bed.

"I'm sorry sir, but exactly why am I here...?" she said cautiously. Iroh sighed and looked at her.

"Really, you must believe me; I hate to put you in such a situation. But Zuko thinks you have information about the Avatar that he could use."

"But I don't! I only ran into him on accident!" said Kora frantically. Iroh nodded.

"I thought so... you see, my nephew is so desperate to catch the Avatar that I'm starting to believe he'll do anything. But I'm going to try to make this as tolerable as I can for you. Sometimes Zuko's decisions need balancing..." said Iroh with a half serious smile.

"I guess I really should be thanking him, this is much better than being punished by the Fire Lord. And thank you for your kindness, sir." said Kora quietly. Iroh laughed.

"Don't call me sir! Iroh will be fine." he said, laughing and shaking her hand. Kora smiled gently.

"Now, get some sleep, I'm sure you're tired. Goodnight." he said, getting up and opening the door. Kora lay down as the door shut: suddenly drowsiness hit her like a ton of bricks. She fell asleep almost immediately, contemplating all that had happened in one day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Kora awoke to the sound of waves crashing up against the side of the ship. She sat up tiredly, recalling everything that had happened the day before in a slight haze. Trying to clear her head, she looked outside and noticed the position of the sun: she had slept until almost noon, a surprising thing for someone who usually woke up around six in the morning for work. Shrugging it off, she slowly made her way out of bed and over to her small desk. Inside the drawer she found a small mirror and a hair brush. Silently reminding herself to thank Iroh later, she grabbed the brush and mirror and sat down to work out the tangle of hair that her curls had become. A small commotion from the deck caught her attention.

Outside, Zuko was practicing his fire-bending with one of his crew members. Kora watched in awe at his skillful moves, having always been one to admire any type of bender. When she was growing up, she would always pretend she was a bender herself while observing her father practice. Even though she admired every type of bending, Kora preferred fire over all others: graceful and elegant, yet powerful and destructive. She sighed quietly in disappointment as the duel below her on the deck ended with one swift move by Zuko.

---------

Zuko stood above the defeated crew member, panting slightly from his rigorous training session. Iroh looked on approvingly as Zuko walked over to him.

"Very good Zuko, I am seeing much improvement." said Iroh with as a grin spread across his face.

"Thank you Uncle..." said Zuko as he leaned up against the ship's railing. His stomach rumbled slightly as he remembered how hungry he was.

"I'm going to go find something to eat..." said Zuko, standing up again. Iroh laughed nervously. Zuko gave him an odd look.

"What...?"

"Well, we have a slight problem..." said Iroh with a silly grin. Zuko wondered what this had to do with food.

"You see, our usual cook was injured in the battle last night. So, while he's incapacitated, we'll need someone else to cook for us." said Iroh. Zuko sighed, frustrated.

"Well it's not like we can just walk into some town and post a 'now hiring' ad!" fumed Zuko.

"Ah, but I had a genius idea! What if we were to ask Kora to cook for us? I'm sure such a well-mannered young lady such as she would know how to cook a good meal." said Iroh, obviously proud of his idea.

"Uncle, she's our prisoner, not our cook! Are you going to have her clean, too?" scowled Zuko, but he was stopped by another angry growl from his stomach.

"Fine, but only for a little bit." said Zuko in defeat.

"Good! I'll go let the crew know that we need to stop for provisions while you go ask Kora." said Iroh, turning to leave.

"Wait, why do I need to ask her?"

"Aren't you the hungry one...?" said Iroh with a smirk. Zuko grumbled and walked off towards the cabins.

---------

Kora brushed the last snarl out of her hair with difficulty and admired her work in the mirror. She had never been one to fuss over her looks for long, but it never hurt to look decent. Setting the brush and mirror down, she pulled her long hair into her usual ponytail. Just then, the lock on her door clicked and in stepped Zuko. Kora stared at the ground quietly, ready for an interrogation.

"We have a slight problem, and I need to ask for your assistance..." said Zuko stiffly. Obviously he wasn't used to asking others for help. Kora just looked at him curiously, not quite sure what he meant.

"We need you to cook for us..." said Zuko, a little embarrassed. Kora stifled a laugh: this was the last thing she expected from Zuko!

"Alright, I'll help you." she said, deciding that cooking would be better than being stuck in her room all day. Zuko nodded his consent and turned to leave.

"You're very good, you know." said Kora quietly. Zuko turned around with a puzzled look on his face.

"Your fire-bending, I mean. You're very talented." said Kora, smiling up at Zuko. He blushed ever so slightly, not exactly knowing how to respond to her compliment.

"Thank you." he said quickly, then left and shut the door behind him.

----------

A few hours later, there was a soft knock on Kora's door.

"Come in..." said Kora from her bed. The lock on the door clicked and Iroh entered her room

"Would you come with me please?" he said kindly. Kora nodded and followed him out into the hallway silently.

"I must thank you again, Miss Kora. After all of this it's so kind of you to do us such a favor," said Iroh grinning. "I'm looking forward to dinner tonight..." he added hungrily. Kora laughed slightly, but remained quiet until they emerged onto the deck of the ship, where Zuko and his crew were waiting. Iroh stopped and handed a small bag of money to Kora.

"Here, get whatever you think we'll need and send it back with the crew members. Oh, I put a little extra in there for you: treat yourself." he added in a hushed tone as Zuko walked over to them.

"Let's go, we don't have all day..." said Zuko, talking indirectly to Iroh. Kora nodded and followed him off onto the island they had stopped at. The dock doubled as a fairly busy marketplace.

"Be back here by sunset." said Zuko, turning to Kora. Looking towards the sun, she figured she had a few hours until then. Weighing the bag in her hand, she set off through the market with a few crew members in tow. The people behind the stands stared at her and whispered to each other, but she paid them no heed: it probably wasn't everyday that they saw someone with a Fire Nation escort come through their small town.

----------

Zuko stood impatiently on the deck of the ship, looking out across the docks. The entire crew had returned, except for Kora and one of her guards, and the sun was just setting.

"Where _is_ she?" said Zuko. Iroh sat a few feet away, sipping his tea.

"Be patient Prince Zuko, she will return in time."

"Am I the only one that realizes that we don't have all the time in the world?" said Zuko angrily. "Maybe something happened to her..." he added. Iroh grinned slightly.

"It's very kind of you to worry about her so much, but I'm sure she's just fine." said Iroh, taking another sip of tea.

"I'm not worried about her! It's just that..."

"Just go find her if you're so concerned!" said Iroh, giving his nephew a playful push towards the dock. Zuko stalked off angrily.

After searching the market in vain for some time, Zuko finally spotted Kora and her guard standing by a small stand that was selling trinkets. They turned around in surprise as he came up to them.

"I'm sorry sir, I lost track of time..." said the guard. Zuko sighed in frustration.

"Just go back to the ship." he said to the guard. As he walked away, Kora quietly set down what she had in her hand and pulled out the money bag.

"Here's the rest of the money." she said, handing it back to him. He took it, and then picked up what she had been holding: a small shell.

"It's an instrument, see?" she said, pointing out the various holes on the sea shell. "My father used to play it for me before he left... for the war..." she added quietly. Zuko was about to say something when she interrupted.

"It's nothing really... I'll see you back at the ship." she said, hurrying off as Zuko continued to inspect the small instrument curiously.

Kora hurried along the darkening docks, avoiding curious glances from all of the villagers as she ran by.

"What are they all staring at...?" she said to herself.

In her distracted mindset, she stumbled over something and fell to her knees on the ground. Slightly shaken, she stood up again, but not without noticing a piece of paper on the ground. Picking it up, she gasped: it was a wanted ad with her face on it. Below her picture, it read, 'Wanted for high treason against the Fire Lord. Alert a soldier if this girl is spotted.'

"There she is! That's her!" yelled someone from a side street. Kora spun around to see a group of four masked Fire Nation soldiers rushing at her. A blast of fire seared past her head as she dove to the side just in time.

"Freeze! You're under arrest!" yelled one of the soldiers as Kora tried to stand up and run, but she wasn't quick enough. She closed her eyes as a blast of fire flew straight at her, but it never came. She opened her eyes slowly to see Zuko standing between her and the soldiers.

"You! Step away from the refugee!" yelled a soldier as they all stopped a few yards away, but Zuko ignored him. With two swift fire kicks, two soldiers were lying on the ground. The others stared for a moment, and then charged Zuko, shooting flames towards him and Kora.

"Stay back!" shouted Zuko over the commotion as he blocked all of their shots. Finally regaining her balance, Kora stood and backed up as far as she dared, fearing others lurking in the shadows. She watched in awe as a Zuko took down another soldier with ease, and then kicked up fire in the direction of the last soldier: which sent him running in the opposite direction.

"Come on, let's go. He probably went for backup..." said Zuko, grabbing her hand and half-dragging her back to the ship. They could hear shouts behind them, but they didn't have time to look back.

Uncle Iroh and the crew stared at Kora and Zuko as they ran back aboard the ship. They stopped by Iroh to catch their breath.

"Let's go! Now!" yelled Zuko to the helmsman.

"What's the rush?" said Iroh calmly, sipping his tea.

"_That_ is the rush, Uncle." said Zuko, pointing towards a huge group of soldiers running down the dock towards them.

"I see..." said Iroh as he walked up to Kora, who was watching the docks slip away over the horizon.

"I should have known it: of course they'd have wanted posters for me!" she said, staring at the ground.

"Now now, it was by no means your fault." said Iroh with his usual grin. "Are you hurt at all?" Kora shook her head.

"Well then, why don't you go get some rest." said Iroh. Kora nodded, and then walked quietly over to Zuko, who had his back to everyone else, staring out to the sea.

"Thanks for saving me; I know you didn't have to." she said. Zuko remained quiet, so she headed towards the cabins.

"I'm going to bed. Good night Uncle..." said Zuko after a few moments of silence.

"Wait Zuko, I have a question. You could have easily taken down all of those soldiers by your self. Why didn't you?" said Iroh curiously, but Zuko remained silent, his back to his Uncle.

"You didn't want her to get hurt, that's why." said Iroh, pleased with his conclusion.

"I said good _night_, Uncle." said Zuko, walking away and leaving Iroh alone on the deck to consider his discovery.


End file.
